After the excitement of our Egyptian trip still so fresh we were off to more familiar places with a return to Scotland and another Helpx stay in the Cairngorms. With only a few days between flying back into London Gatwick and leaving from London Kings Cross we tried to fit in as much as possible.
Friends Reunited
A quick visit to see Ryan and Ella, our youngest son and his girlfriend, and an even quicker one to see my Mum filled the first couple of days before we were back in Maidstone Kent. Our tiny storage locker is there so we occasionally have to jiggle around a few things such as winter coats, boots, shorts etc. With a family wedding on the horizon we had to dust off our posh togs to take with us to Scotland. Can you imagine having to plan what to wear 6 weeks ahead?
Before we left Maidstone we got together with two of our oldest and best friends, Keith and Nicola. When I say oldest it’s not really insulting as we met at college when we were just 17 and have been firm friends ever since. It was so nice to see each other again and as is the way with real friends it doesn’t matter at all how long you have been apart. When you meet up it’s like you saw each other yesterday. A fabulous afternoon and we just wish we could see them more often.
England to Scotland
As you all know we are committed rail travellers so our journey up into the wilds of Bonnie Scotland were all booked on the trains with only two changes between Maidstone in southern England and Pitlochry in the highlands of Scotland. It took around eight and a half hours but we had snacks, and drinks, things to read, and of course each other so it was a good journey.
Some of the scenery as you race north from Newcastle through Northumberland and the Borders is stunning and as usual we kept saying how we had to visit the area to explore and see it for real. Sounded like a good plan which we were actually working on, more about that another time.
Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Foss
Our host and old friend Norman met us at the station and gave us a lift back to their house where we would be staying for a few nights. This was our third time staying with Tina and Norman so it was like seeing old friends again and with her parents, Peter and Joan, the four dogs, existing Helpx helpers Trudie and Luke, neighbours Annie and William, more neighbours Nick and Diane, and new Helpxers Costa and Jazz it turned out to be a noisy fun evening.
- Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Foss
- What living the Helpx life is like in Scotland
- Our Helpx life in the Scottish Highlands
What is Helpx again?
For any of you that haven’t heard of it before, Helpx is an online organisation that matches hosts and helpers together all over the world. In exchange for bed and board the helpers do around 4 hours work a day for 5 days a week. This is our sixth one I think and they are a wonderful way of visiting different locations and meeting new people. The work is very varied too depending on what your hosts require.
Up here in Scotland Tina and Norman run a holiday lodge business (Drumcroy Lodges)so there are 6 lodges in Aberfeldy to turnaround between guests plus a large country house in Foss. Along with gardening and a few minor tasks that’s what we get up to. As it’s our third time we’re fairly up to speed on how things are done so feel pretty relaxed about everything. Oh and they very kindly let us have use of a car so we can get out and about to explore a bit.
The existing helpers, Trudie and Luke, actually moved on the day after we arrived so it would be us showing the newbies, Costa and Jazz, the ropes. They were a young twenty-something couple from Melbourne Australia who were doing a bit of travelling around Europe as so many Aussies do. Jazz actually lived in the same street that we had Airbnb’d in a few years ago! So we had lots to chat about reminiscing about our Australia trip and all the places we had visited. It’s a crazy small world isn’t it?
Back in the Lodges
Although we don’t mind where we stay and have lived in Tina’s house previously, our favourite part of our time up here is when we get the chance to stay in one of the lodges. If one is free they let us move up there until new guests are booked. It really is what we remember most about all of our previous trips and we were lucky enough again to be going up for a week soon after we arrived.
Sharing a lodge with the Aussies for a couple of nights before they moved back to Pitlochry was good fun. You never quite know if you’ll get on with people when you are thrown together randomly like that especially if there is a considerable age difference but we always seems to be ok. They soon felt like old friends and I think we pretty much forgot that we were from different decades and from opposite sides of the globe.
So a sunny warm first week with lots of gardening and outside work. I was reunited with my old pal McDuff the Strimmer and it looked like we were in for a belter of a summer.
04/05 – 12/05/2019
JWalking 
Great post 🙂
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Thanks glad you enjoyed it.
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I had never heard of Helpx. Will check it out. I just came back from Scotland. Loved it. Did a 3 week house sit there. Need to post about it on my blog.
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Scotland really is one of the worlds most beautiful countries if the weather is good. You can’t beat it.
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Ha ha, but you weren’t in for a belter of a summer! Can’t imagine why I think that …
Aberfeldy is one of my favourite little towns.
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Aberfeldy is a lovely little place isn’t it? Easily the type of town that we could see ourselves settling down in.
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I have that fantasy too sometimes.
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I think we’d need to experience a Scottish winter before committing to living there.
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We have been in winter twice – the first time very snowy. The Birks of Aberfeldy Walk was beautiful and the snow was firm under our feet. The second time, it had snowed a bit and the paths were slippery so I didn’t enjoy the same walk. This is why it remains a fantasy!
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Sounds lovely but you would need to experience a whole winter before deciding to settle there wouldn’t you?
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Exactly!
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I love the Cairngorms – it’s so beautiful round there! And Helpx sounds like a great idea – will have to bear that in mind for the future!
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Fabulous scenery everywhere you look isn’t there? We absolutely love going up there and living in Scotland for a few weeks each summer. Helpx is a great concept, so many different opportunities all over the world. Worth having a look at.
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Great read guys, we loved sharing the experience with you, hope to see you soon 😊
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We’re expecting an invite to the big day (whenever that happens).
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We love train travel and often wish there were train tracks across the Pacific Ocean. It would be much more pleasant than a long haul flight.
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Train journeys are so relaxing and you really do get to see so much of the countryside and towns as you go. Much better than flying if it’s possible. May be tricky across the Pacific though.
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Sadly true. It’s a nice thought though.
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Ah back to good old bonny Scotland. A bit of a change from Egypt!
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Slight change in the weather and a huge change in the shopkeeping habits thank goodness.
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I just love how the people you meet millions of miles away end up being from your own back yard! Enjoy your time there guys. 🙂
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It’s fabulous meeting so many people from all over the world and realising that it’s really not that big a place after all.
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So true. 😊
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Us Aussies get around don’t we?? Fab to hear you are back enjoying your time in Pitlochry 🙂
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We love it up there, such a beautiful little town and fabulous scenery all around. Even the visiting Aussies are okay!
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What a lovely scenic place your staying in. It’s also great that you get on really well with the hosts. Good post, I enjoyed reading it👍
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It’s a beautiful part of Scotland and the people are so friendly. Our hosts are like old friends now and it’s great to meet so many new helpers from all over the world.
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What are you wearing in that picture with McDuff? Have you borrowed those trousers from Kid Creole? Even though you caught a good week in Scotland it must still have been quite a come down from the heat of Egypt.
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My special wet-weather-strimming troosers! Weather was a slight shock to the system after the heat of Egypt.
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Helpx sounds brilliant! Your lifestyle is amazing. Hats off to you both!! 👍👏
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It’s a pretty good concept if you get decent hosts. We like the barter type of system where we’re swapping work for board, quiet a satisfying way to live for a while. can be tough work though.
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The bartering is going back to basics. Brilliant concept.
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Sounds like an ideal arrangement, Jonno, and I know it’s a lovely part of the world. 🙂 🙂
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It’s absolutely stunning up there, as long as the weather is agreeable. Not sure about the winters though.
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This is a good one! We flew to Scotland last year, but I was well aware that the train journey must provide some amazing scenery! Looks an amazing place to stay. Can’t believe that about the same street you’d stayed in, in Australia!! How does that happen in such a big country?!
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The world is just getting smaller and smaller isn’t it? Crazy.
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